US fashion designer Willy Chavarria said Saturday he regrets that sandals he created together with Adidas “appropriated” a traditional design from the southern Mexican state of Oaxaca.
Local authorities had complained that the Oaxaca Slip-On sandals were a “reinterpreted” model of huarache sandals, particularly one found uniquely in the area, which has one of the highest Indigenous populations in the country.
Mexico’s government said Friday it was seeking compensation from Adidas.
“I deeply regret that this design has appropriated the name and was not developed in direct and meaningful partnership with the Oaxacan community,” Chavarria, who is of Mexican heritage, said in a statement sent to AFP.
Chavarria acknowledged that the sandals “did not live up to the respect and collaborative approach” deserved by the community of Villa Hidalgo Yalalag, from where the original design is said to have come.
The Mexican government said Friday that Adidas had agreed to meet with Oaxaca authorities.
“It’s collective intellectual property. There must be compensation. The heritage law must be complied with,” President Claudia Sheinbaum said during her regular morning press conference Friday.
The controversy is the latest instance of Mexican officials denouncing major brands or designers using unauthorized Indigenous art or designs from the region, with previous complaints raised about fast fashion juggernaut Shein, Spain’s Zara and high-end label Carolina Herrera.
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